MYM relaunch in Gauteng

The Muslim Youth Movement in Gauteng has been re-launched and ready to tackle challenges ahead. It was also ready to play a critical role in the development of Islamic thought.

More than a year of effort by the national executive of the Muslim Youth Movement (MYM) of South Africa to revive its Gauteng structures have finally borne fruit with the election of that area’s regional executive on November 2, in Crosby, Johannesburg.

The electoral meeting was also attended by the current President of the MYM, Thandile Kona, and veterans of the organisations like Yusuf Cajee, Goolam Kolia and others. There were also messages of encouragement and support from other veterans who could not make it to the event.

The event was put together by a task team which was mandated by the general assembly held in Durban in July. After several regional consultative meetings, the effort had gathered enough steam for the regional elections and launch – and the numbers of those who had indicated willingness to join the MYM had met and exceeded the constitutional requirements. They subsequently signed membership forms and officially joined the organisation.

Speaking at the opening of the event, Thandile Kona expressed “happiness that this day is finally coming to pass. There has been a nagging feeling of failure amongst the members of the current national leadership of the MYM that by not having an MYM structure in Gauteng, we were not only letting down the organisation, but we were also letting down those who laid the foundation for the MYM in this part of the country. These people like the late Farid Choonara and Shamima Sheik and the still living stalwarts of the organisation who still support it in many ways.

“In the history of the MYM, this region has always been at the forefront of the organisation’s activism and we were not pleased at all to see that historical chain broken.”

Kona stressed the importance of the Muslim youth taking part in “the current national discourse that sees the imperfect pact that has held this country together since 1994 coming for re-evaluation and re-negotiation and which the poor people of this country feel that it has failed and continues to dismally fail to address their basic needs. If we miss the opportunity to be part of these re-negotiations, we would have failed in our obligations as Muslims and as human beings.”

The elections, overseen by Thandile Kona and Goolam Kolia went smoothly and Minhaj Jeenah was elected as the regional chairperson.

On accepting his election, Jeenah said, “We are fully aware of the task ahead of us, that of setting up MYM branches throughout the region and being the feet of the organisation.”

In closing the event, Jeenah further made a pledge to “play a critical role in the development of Islamic thought in the country; radically address the issues of race and gender justice and put the struggles of the working class at the centre of our agendas. We, further, call on the support of Muslim youth, civil society, progressive structures and other activists in the region as we take on these struggles.”